Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Now, Brazil exactly isn’t a place from where you’d expect good quality rock music(there are a lot of unheard, talented bands there though), maybe decent metal music ( thanks to Sepultura and its insane success at the international stage). But Fleeting Circus is changing that perspective. Fleeting Circus is an alternative band from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who have been making waves in the music scene with their brand of music! The band comprises of Taynã Frota -
Vocals/Guitar, Rod Seven - Guitar, Danny Seven - Drums and Felipe Vianna – Bass, and have recently released their EP titled 'Dream World of Magic'.

This alternative/rock quartet which counts Led Zeppelin , Jeff Buckley , Muse , Sunny Real Day Estate etc. as it’s influences, has successfully managed to gel all of these different sounds into a single one, best represented by them in their own style, importantly. On the tracks , you can hear Jeff Buckley inspired vocals seamlessly blending with a Led Zeppelin-esque type riffing, with a cool Muse and Deftone-ish mid section. The band, which made waves in the inaugural edition of Yamaha Brazilian Beat Festival, display maturity in their tracks, which you won’t find in a band so young .

The EP begins with a 2 minute intro called ‘Life Between Two Paper Sheets’. It has an ‘anticipation of something big’ feel to it. And, rightly so indeed. The band breaks into a Zeppelin-esque section to end the song. ‘Fake Station’ is the next tune of this EP. It has a dissonant intro, reminding me highly of Deftones . The chorus of this track is my favourite from this release. The song ends with the quartet jamming on the intro after a psychedelic break.

‘Underground’ is a mellow tune , with the guitars using a palm muted grunge tone for the most part of the song. The next track ‘Come On’ is the most energetic track of the EP. Frota’s vocals must deserve special mention for reaching those high pitch notes ala Jeff Buckley. All in all, the song is a good demonstration of the the band’s signature sound, even consisting of psychedelic parts and a tiny guitar solo. ‘Not the End’ is a so-so track, in my opinion ofcourse, not one of the stronger tunes in this EP. Its good, though it falls a bit short to reach the bar set by the other tracks of their own album. The EP ends with ‘Hurricane’, a song which progresses from a mellow intro to a crescendo finish. Rod’s guitar playing must receive special mention for the guitar work in this song. Tasty note choices with good phrasing, this tune is a treat.

Special mention to the art work – the maze of words ‘hiding’ the EP title. Nice work out there. All in all, Fleeting Circus, at their young age, have huge potential in them to get noticed prominently in the international scene, and as a matter of fact, I am eagerly looking forward to more albums from them too.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Well , there are 2 ways a reviewer can listen to this album : One, from a past point of view & two, from a present point of view. I chose to review the album with an ear for music, giving not a damn to any preconceived notions.

For dummies, Grenouer is a 4-piece post grunge/hard rock band from St. Petersburg, comprising of Ind – Vocals , Motor – Guitars/Bass , Arbue – Guitars and Coroner – Drums . They were actually an underground death metal band, way back in late 90’s to early 2000’s. They released 4 CDs within that period , receiving positive reviews from both fans and critics alike. But the most defining moment for the band came in 2006, when they released their highly acclaimed album ‘Try‘. With ‘Try’ , they changed their sound from death metal to technical/progressive/industrial metal , drawing comparisons with heavyweights Meshuggah and Fear Factory .

After ‘Try’ , they released ‘Lifelong Days’ , which led them to tour with famous metal bands like Neuorosis , Anathema , Soilwork , Cradle Of Filth and lots more . They were also the supporting act for progressive giants , TesseracT and Textures , as well as thrash metal gods, Testament . But after their record label , Locomotive Records , shut down. It kind of triggered a very surprising response from the band . Half of the band wanted to change the direction towards a more grunge oriented sound whereas the other half preferred to play progressive metal . The band soon got divided into 2 parts. Slavij, bass and Grave, drums , decided to part ways with the band due to creative differences.

But Ind, lead vocals and Motor, guitar , decided to continue the band’s new direction by hiring Arbue on guitars and Coroner on drums , to finish the recording of their latest ‘Computer Crime’ EP .
This EP showcases how the former death metalheads transformed into a more commercially acceptable rock oriented group . There’s nothing wrong with that. Infact , it is a good thing that the guys have musically diverse interests .

The EP has a very different sound from what you would normally except from Greneour . The poly rhythms and industrial guitar riffs are missing , but that’s not a bad thing either. This EP stands out on it’s own due to the stellar post grunge sound they have managed to nail very well . ‘Computer Crime’ is a marvel for hard rock/post grunge enthusiasts . So I can say, even metalheads are going to enjoy the heavier sections of this EP .
‘Computer Crime’ begins with a heavy riff and a groovy bassline in the track ‘Last Stop’ . The chorus and the post chorus sections are the best sections of this song . Probably one of the reasons why this tune is my favorite from the EP . It has a good ambient middle section . All in all , a gem of a tune .

Next up is ‘Rejected’ . This tune is hard-rock lover’s cocaine . A belter of a tune , especially those nu-metal influenced guitar riffs is a headbanger’s paradise . ‘See No Sun’ is their single from this EP . A mellow track , with a couple of heavy muted riffs thrown in between , it’s no surprise that this song was released as a single . ‘Fix Your Life’ is a post grunge tune, in the vein of Alice In Chains . Thoughtful lyrics and a wah-pedal based guitar solo are the highlights of this tune . The EP ends with ‘Golden Years’ . A beautiful track using acoustic guitars and very effective backing vocals. This track sticks in your head . A bonus track in the form of a radio edit of ‘See No Sun’ is also present in the EP . The radio edit is basically the EP version minus the heavy riffs in the mid section .

Overall, I was pretty much satisfied with the EP, considering the criticism they faced when they decided to switch genres . Open your ears , people! Music should be devoid of any stereotypes . Good music should always be non-subjective. Go get this EP folks, you won’t be disappointed!